Information for Parents

We believe that as parents and family members, you are our partners in assisting
students with the career development process. Together we can serve as a valuable
resource to them and help guide the student towards a successful career.

Career Information for Parents

Parents' Guide to Career Development

The most valuable things parents can do to help a student with career planning are
listen, be open to ideas, and help your student find information. Check out the Parent's Roadmap for more suggestions on how to assist your child mature from campus to career.

Encourage your child to visit the career center (and you go too!)Next time you visit campus, drop into the career services office and pick up a business
card from one of the career counselors. When your son or daughter is feeling anxious
about his/her future, offer the card and say, "Please call this person. He (or she)
can help you."

Many students use their first semester to "settle into" college life, and so the spring
semester of the freshman year is the optimal time to start using career center services.
Ask your student (in an off-handed way), "Have you visited the career center?" If
you hear, "You only go there when you are a senior," then it's time to reassure him/her
that meeting with a career counselor can take place at any point—and should take place
frequently—throughout a college career.

Many centers offer a full range of career development and job-search help, including:

Mock interviews

A network of alumni willing to talk about their jobs and careers

A library of books (including an online library of information) on a wide range of
careers

Workshops on writing resumes and cover letters

A recruiting program, and/or Individual advising

Advise your student to write a resumeWriting a resume can be a "reality test" and can help a student identify weak areas
that require improvement. Suggest that your student get sample resumes from the career
center.

You can review resume drafts for grammar, spelling, and content, but recommend that
the final product be critiqued by a career center professional.

Challenge your student to become "occupationally Iiterate."Ask: "Do you have any ideas about what you might want to do when you graduate?"

If your student seems unsure, you can talk about personal qualities you see as talents
and strengths. You can also recommend:

Taking a "self-assessment inventory," such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Talking to favorite faculty members

Researching a variety of interesting career fields and employers

A career decision should be a process and not a one-time, last-minute event.

Emphasize the importance of internshipsThe career center will not "place" your child in a job at graduation. Colleges grant
degrees, but not job guarantees, so having relevant experience in this competitive
job market is critical.

Your son or daughter can sample career options by completing internships and experimenting
with summer employment opportunities or volunteer work.

Why an internship?

Employers are interested in communication, problem-solving, and administrative skills,
which can be developed through internships.

Employers look for experience on a student's resume and often hire from within their
own internship programs.

Having a high GPA is not enough.

A strong letter of recommendation from an internship supervisor may tip the scale
of an important interview in their favor.

Encourage extracurricular involvement

Part of experiencing college life is to be involved and active outside the classroom.
Interpersonal and leadership skills—qualities valued by future employers—are often
developed in extracurricular activities.

Help your student to stay up-to-date with current events

Employers will expect students to know what is happening around them. Buy your student
a subscription to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal

Teach the value of networking

Introduce your student to people who have the careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest
your son or daughter contact people in your personal and professional networks for
information on summer jobs. Encourage your child to "shadow" someone in the workplace
to increase awareness of interesting career fields.

Help the career center

Call your campus career center when you have a summer, part-time, or full-time job
opening. The staff will help you find a hard-working student. If your company hires
interns, have the internships listed in the career center. Join the campus career
center's career advisory network and use your "real world" experience to advise students
of their career options.